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I was just asked to notify residents that the Box 100 volunteers are opening the Multipurpose Building behind City Hall again tonight because of severe weather approaching. The building will be available for residents seeking shelter beginning at 10:00 p.m. and will remain open as long as needed.

Box 100 is a volunteer unit that supports first responder personnel when they are on the scene of major emergencies. Their work is not unlike that of the Red Cross in that they provide shelter, nourishment, water, etc. in times of need, but their efforts are mostly directed toward aiding fire, police, and rescue squad personnel.

My NOAA weather radio was going nuts in the back of my house; I have it programmed for Rutherford, Williamson, Davidson, and Wilson counties. I ignored it because I was busy watching a movie or something… but outside the wind, tornadoes, or whatever were hard at work. I lost a very big tree in my back yard… other casualties were my fence, the corner of my shed, and the squirrel who lived in that tree. Luckily, the tree did not hit my house or our camper… others weren’t so lucky. How are you all?

In other news, I have an electric blue ’95 Geo Tracker that needs a new owner. Anybody interested?

If I could, I would. But I can’t. But you might be able to. Here’s the official press release and they really want to find homes for this grant money!! From the city,

$150,000 available to qualified residents

(La Vergne, February 25, 2011) The city of La Vergne wants to give you money! The city received $150,000 in grant funding from THDA for the federally funded HOME program. The money is directed at the production, preservation and rehabilitation of housing.

“In other words, we want to help residents make repairs to their houses,” said city grant writer Montique Luster. “There are a few residency strings attached. If a grant recipient sells the home in less than five years, they will have to pay some back. If you own for five years, you will not owe any money. If you sell after four years, you will have to pay back 20 percent, three years is 40 percent, and so on.”

There is a 15-year lien requirement for residences that have to be completely torn down and rebuilt.

To qualify for the grant funds, you must own your own home and lived there during 2010. Income limits for family size are as follows: 1 – $36,550, 2 – $41,750, 3 – $46,950, 4 – $52,150, and 5+ – $56,350. The funds can be used to correct code violations or repair any developing deficiencies in the structure of the home (e.g., siding, gutters, flooring, lead paint remediation, etc.).

The deadline to apply has been extended to April 1, 2011. For information, contact Luster at City Hall, 5093 Murfreesboro Road, or call her at (615) 287-8606. To formally apply, Cindy Raymond can be reached by email at cynthia.raymond@comcast.net or call (615) 855-0883.

There’s so much excitement in City Hall right now! If you want to get an inkling about why the city is abuzzzzzz …

Come to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen Workshop scheduled on Thursday (that’s February 24th) at 5:00 p.m. to hear some of the ideas being bandied around.Here’s a link to the formal agenda (and I hope the link works).

The actual Board meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, March 1st at 7:00 p.m. That’s the one where the items discussed on Thursday are formally voted upon.

Please come to one or both!

In other news … LaVergne now has an official Facebook page. And Twitter account! I named it LaVergne37086 (like Beverly Hills 90210, only not). JUST started so not a lot on them yet … we’ll get there.

Started an official city facebook page… not a lot on it yet, but here it is (we’ll get there!).

Planning to set up an official Twitter page for you twitterers out there for the city (getting there).

I’ve gone to the scene of emergencies a couple of times and have to say … what an IMPRESSIVE group of people our police force and fire fighters are. I mean… jaw dropping impressive. We were in a residential neighborhood Saturday and there was a happy ending (no one was hurt) because the officers knew what they were doing and did their jobs.

Here’s a photo from the day… I’ve blurred the faces of our SWAT team / police because I don’t want to just go “HEY! LOOK AT THEM!” without their okay.

After watching these emergency responders in action, my own feeling of safety and being in good hands has multiplied exponentially.

There are so many facets of the public relations director job – economic development, working with the media, promoting the library and programs at parks and rec, and more – I am constantly busy. There are some really great things on the horizon for La Vergne (I promise), but this administration is also having to address the here and now, dealing with the fallout from past decisions.

So to my friends… I just want to say watch for lots of good stuff. Some exciting (to me) items will be discussed at Thursday’s workshop (starts at 5:00 p.m.). Then the proposals will be voted on at the actual Board meeting on Tuesday, March 1st (7:00 p.m.). Please come to the meetings because you’ll definitely want to be part of the awesome. Also remain active in our community. Go to the library programs. Support Parks & Rec. We’ll be looking for volunteers soon for our Oldtimers Day festival. (We are going to need LOTS of volunteers).

I have my business cards now so if you see me at the meeting or around town, grab one. Call with any questions. Or email. Or comment. The door is open at city hall for everyone. Come by and say hello!

Unless you were cut off from all online, televised, and print media yesterday and today, you’ve heard about the shocking, sad, upsetting, disheartening story of one of our LHS students thoughts to hire someone to kill is parents. Here are some links if you missed it.

This one hit really close to home. My daughter has been friends with this kid since elementary school. She said everyone at school yesterday was upset – as expected. We talked for hours last night about all the kids involved (yes all the students know all the kids arrested even though the names have not been released).

Today, this weekend … take some extra time with your kids to talk about what’s on their minds. I don’t care if they’re elementary school aged or all he way into their early adult years, give them an extra hug. Make sure they know you care. Even if they don’t like being grounded or your boring lectures, make sure they understand it’s because you love them and you always will.